“You made a good case, and we listened.” (Mayor Gray to advocates on August 20th, announcing the Gray Administration’s decision to delay the next round of reductions in TANF benefits for six months) Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) is a lifeline for low-income families whose parents are caring for young children or children with disabilities, struggling with unemployment, or fleeing abusive relationships. This federally-funded...

Ed. note:  The city’s Department of Human Services (DHS) is currently in the process of implementing the D.C. Council’s mandate to move families from the shelter system into housing in order to open up much needed shelter space for new families this summer. However, the city’s progress has been too slow for many “priority 1” families who remain without a safe place to go in the meantime.  Ms. S’s is one such...

Budget season is over and it’s been a pretty exciting ride.  This year, the D.C. Council really stepped up and, through restorations and investments, supported many programs relied upon by low-income and no-income D.C. residents. The Council put $4 million into the tenant-based Local Rent Supplement Program in order to provide permanent affordable housing to about 250 homeless families in the District and open up much-needed space in emergency...

In giving final approval to the FY 2013 Budget Support Act today, the D.C. Council voted to delay additional cuts in TANF for a year.  Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael Brown introduced the amendment with the one-year delay language, and all but three Councilmembers voted in favor of the amendment.  (Councilmembers Alexander,Catania, and Mendelson voted against the delay). In passing this amendment, councilmembers recognized that the...

by guest blogger “Ms. K”  I’m a mother of six, and I first got on TANF in 2005 after my husband lost his job and my income alone wasn’t enough to make our mortgage payments. We lost our home and moved in with relatives. At the time I had a newborn and the stress on my family was enormous. For various reasons, I had to leave my job and TANF assistance helped us survive. We shuffled in and out of homelessness for several years and now...

Last week, we told you about the impending cuts to TANF benefits for families that have received assistance for over 60 months. Today and Monday, help us convince the DC Council to delay these cuts and afford parents the opportunity to take advantage of the improved employment support services offered by the new TANF redesign. Councilmembers Jim Graham and Michael Brown are working with the Mayor to  ensure that families in crisis are not cut...